Futureshock:  DB Redux
by Awful Waffle
Summary: In an encounter with Cell, future Gohan is sent far back into the past.  With Piccolo successfully killing Goku at the 23rd Budokai and taking reign over the earth, can Gohan help the Z-Fighters change history forever?
1. 0:  Prologue to the Past

Chapter 0 – "Prologue to the Past"

The barren land in front of Capsule Corporation was hauntingly silent, save for four figures staring each other down. Three stood beside one another, and one taller one across from them. The trio was none other than Krillin, an adult Son Gohan, and a teenage Trunks Briefs. Across from them was the terrible sight of Imperfect Cell.

"I give you warning, _noble warriors,_" the tall android hissed, his words oddly verbose, "you cannot defeat me, even in this form. And when I absorb those androids, I will achieve perfection. _ Nothing_ will be able to stop me."

Gohan took a battle stance, and Krillin and Trunks followed suit. Cell seemed to grin through his primitive mouth, and mockingly took the stance of Gohan's late father, Goku.

"We need to just fend him off. We've spent all these years training in hiding, and if we die, we'll lose all we've worked for." Gohan wasn't a kid anymore, and he knew the magnitude of this situation. Krillin nodded, and Trunks began powering up, a white aura surging around him. Out of all things, young Trunks hated androids most of all. They took his father, and all of his friends… he wasn't just going to run away anymore. Gohan put a firm hand on his pupil's shoulder. "Don't even think about it."

"This talk is getting annoying," Cell interjected. He extended his hand, and outstretched two fingers. He switched between pointing at Gohan, then Trunks, then Krillin. "Who shall I kill first? Ah… I know."

Without warning, Cell disappeared in a flash, before appearing in the air over Krillin. "Death Beam!"

Frieza's signature purple ray, faster than light itself, sped forward. Before Gohan or Trunks could even see where it had come from, it had already pierced through Krillin's head, instantly killing him. Trunks looked on in horror, and Gohan's mouth hung open, a cold sweat pouring down his face. His eyes were awestruck—in the past years, Krillin had become like his uncle, and they had gotten very close, much like Krillin did with his father. **"Krillin!"**

The earth began to crumble beneath Gohan's feet. He could feel a new type of energy flowing through him. All of his life, he had been training to be able to go Super Saiyan like his father had, but even after witnessing his friends die at the hands of the androids, all he could do was cry. Not anymore. His aura began flashing gold, and Cell looked on, almost scared by the sudden burst in the half-Saiyan's power level.

"I won't allow this!" Cell teleported in front of Gohan, intent on sending a kick, but Trunks blocked it with all of his might. "Out of the way, you worm!" He sent Trunks flying with a strong elbow, before kneeing the transforming Gohan in the gut. Gohan immediately stopped transforming and flew into Capsule Corp, which caused him to slam his head against the hard concrete and lose consciousness. Cell slowly walked toward the strongest Z-Fighter, before picking him up by the front of his orange gi. "No power," he whispered darkly, "will be greater than mine."

Cell looked around, before his eyes found what he wanted. He may not have had the power to kill Gohan right now like he thought, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't exist in this timeline. He drug Gohan over to Bulma's newly finished Time Machine, constructed so Trunks could bring heart medicine and blueprints for Gero's androids to the past, and eliminate this threat that had plagued them for over a decade. Now, Cell was killing two birds with one stone—with Gohan gone, he wouldn't have a rival, and with the time machine gone, nothing could interfere with his plans to become perfect. He opened the pod of the time machine, before tossing Gohan in. He pressed random buttons on the control panel, not really caring where Gohan went, as long as it wasn't the present. He closed the lid, and in a flash, Gohan was gone.

"Now... to find those androids."

* * *

><p><em>Words from the author:<em>  
>This is just a short prologue— I was originally going to pair this with Chapter 1, but I didn't want to have a novel. So consider this a morsel to get your appetite going. Also, I've altered some things in the DBZ canon to fit the story—for instance, you probably noticed future Gohan wasn't able to go Super Saiyan. This is for story purposes, and I don't think it's too radical of a difference. There will also be a few other changes, one of which being a rather major one next chapter. It's a pretty big change, but again, essential for the story. I hope it'll be enough to keep you all entertained!  
>- AW<p> 


	2. 1:  Death and Arrival!  Goku to Gohan!

Chapter 1 – "Death and Arrival! Goku to Gohan!"

"_This is it. I can finally have my revenge on the fool who killed my father."_

Piccolo Jr. stood near ringside at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai tournament, as the source of his bitter hatred took his fighting pose against his opponent, King Chappa. Piccolo watched the fighter, sickened at how nonchalant he was, and how innocent he made himself to seem. He didn't care for the tournament at all—now that he had a clear shot at Goku, he'd take it.

As the two fighters in the ring were being introduced, Piccolo got a good sight of the messy-haired warrior, and put his fingers to his temple.

"_After all my training in seclusion… I should be able to pull this off. Doesn't matter if it's the first time."_

Energy began to spark between the two antenna on his head, and his eyes seemed to glaze over with a demonic bloodlust. He felt his power rising, and he let out a fanged grin. Goku was so focused on the fight that was about to start that he didn't bother trying to sense for any other powers. It was too perfect, it seemed.

The sparking energy soon became a golden aura around Piccolo, and the charging stage was complete. Just as the announcer told the fighters to begin, Piccolo aimed his fingers forward, right at Goku.

"MAKANKOSAPPO!"

A winding drill of energy burst ahead, and before Goku had any time to prepare, it pierced him straight through the heart. Gasps and screams were heard from the stands, and everyone looked to see the source of the beam—and they saw an elated green figure grinning madly. Goku fell over, almost immediately killed by the blast. King Chappa and the announcer instantly scattered from the ring in fear, and Piccolo walked out into the center of the ring, standing proudly over his prey.

"People of Earth," he let out, still holding his disturbing grin, "your strongest warrior has just fallen at my hands. Now there's nothing stopping me from ruling this whole pathetic world. Anyone who dares protest will suffer a worse fate than our poor friend here," his eyes glanced down at the bloodied figure beneath him.

"N-Not if I have anything to do with it!"

One of the fighters, a geeky old man, rushed out, and Piccolo turned around to face the ignorant fighter. The man, dressed in a simple white shirt and wearing thick-framed glasses, put a small glass jar on the ground. Piccolo observed with a look of bewilderment, before the man put his hands forward.

"Evil Containment Wave!"  
>"What? Kami?"<p>

A spiral of green energy shot forth from around the man, whose plan was to trap Piccolo inside the jar so he could do no more harm to the people of Earth. Piccolo had prepared himself for something like this, however, and put his hands forward as well, pulsing forth his energy and reversing the containment wave. The blow hit Kami, who had overtaken the man's body. So the man wouldn't be absorbed with him, Kami left his body, and shortly after, he was absorbed into the jar. Piccolo's grin grew even wider as he realized he had just imprisoned the guardian of Earth without killing him, therefore insuring him his own life without worry of Kami's health or doings, seeing as their lives were linked. Piccolo quickly grabbed the jar and swallowed it, so no one could open the lid and release his counterpart.

"Any more tricks?" Piccolo turned to the audience with a glare. There was silence; they were all in fear. Roshi, who was sitting with Bulma, Oolong and the others, grit his teeth in frustration— Goku was the only one strong enough to beat Piccolo… if only he were younger, he mused.

Amidst the silence, there was a loud bang before a strange pod appeared in the grass outside of the ring, in between it and the stands. This immediately caught Piccolo's eye.

"WHAT NOW?"

He was ready to simply blow the machine to pieces, but the top hatch opened up. Gohan, still a bit woozy from the hit by Cell, crawled out, before slumping over on the ground. He had to take a moment to recalibrate himself, and figure out what actually happened. It looked like he was at the old Tenkaichi Budokai arena, before it was renovated and made bigger. That was odd. He then looked at the pod beside him and immediately realized, in fear, what had happened. He turned around to see a familiar figure glaring at him. His eyes widened.

"P-Piccolo? You're… alive?"  
>"Of course I am, are you deaf? I'm the ruler of this world now. Shut up and move your little machine or I'll kill you like I killed the other guy in your outfit."<p>

Gohan hadn't seen it at first, but when it was pointed out to him, it sent chills down his spine. His father, a much younger form of him, was lying dead with a hole through his chest. This wasn't the same Piccolo who had loved and trained him, he realized… but, with Goku dead at this age, he himself shouldn't be alive! It didn't make sense, but Gohan cast that thought aside. He realized where his responsibilities were now, and all that mattered was that he still existed. He had no idea how to work the time machine, so it was useless; he couldn't simply go back to his timeline. For now, at least, this was his home, and like his original home, he was going to defend it.

In the stands, Bulma and the others looked on.

"Who… who is he?" Bulma let out, noticing he was adorned in a uniform much the same as Goku's. He even looked like Goku, albeit with shorter hair and lighter skin. He looked older, too; her age, at least. His face was much more mature than Goku's, and much less innocent. He looked strong. She couldn't quite rap her head around why he had appeared in that machine out of nowhere, but she didn't care; neither did the others, for that matter. He was their last line against an empire under a new King Piccolo. Bulma gritted her teeth before pumping her fist in the air.

"You big green jerk! There's no way you're gonna be our ruler! Take him down, guy in orange!"

Gohan looked over to the source of the noise, and saw a younger Bulma. She seemed a little older than him, 22 perhaps. All of this was so farfetched, but there was no time to focus on that. Bulma rallied the crowd, who had overcome their fears, into shouting out "Orange! Orange!" until it was all that could be heard echoing through the arena. Gohan tightened his blue belt and hopped into the ring, before taking a battle stance. He could sense Piccolo's power level, and it was much lower than the Piccolo he had known. He hadn't had as much time to train. Still, he remembered hearing stories about how Piccolo had swallowed Kami after he trapped him… if that was true, he'd have to save Kami and find a way to trap this Piccolo. If he hit him too hard, then Kami would die and the Dragon Balls would be rendered useless.

"Goku was the strongest this planet had to offer, what makes you think some nobody who appeared out of thin air can dethrone the king of the Earth?" Piccolo folded his arms and looked down upon Gohan, obviously not taking his new opponent very seriously. Gohan's brows furrowed with controlled anger, images of his father dying of heart disease and now dying before his time at the hands of a truly evil Piccolo… if he couldn't save his friends in his own timeline, he'd save them in this one.

"How do I know I can beat you?" Gohan clenched his teeth and shot a piercing look straight into the eyes of Piccolo. A white aura, a swirl of air at first, burst into existence around him, so fierce that even those in the stands could hear it roar. "Because…"

"**Because I am Goku's son!**"

* * *

><p><em>Words from the author:<br>_Still no fighting? Oh, but don't worry. I wanted to go ahead and get the back story completely over with so I could focus completely on plot development from here on out. Perhaps you're seeing the changes I foreshadowed last chapter, eh? Anyway, next chapter, Son Gohan vs New King Piccolo! Gohan meets the younger Z-Warriors! (Perhaps I shall refer to them as the Dragon Ball Gang, since this isn't Z yet?) Review and rate, and stay tuned, because if this morsel gets you amped at all, you haven't seen anything yet!


	3. 2:  The Second Son kun!

Chapter 2 – "The Second Son-kun!"

Gohan and Piccolo looked each other in the eyes, and the intensity between them sent shivers down the audience's spine. The fact that Piccolo wasn't afraid quieted the crowd, and many wondered if this new warrior would have any chance.

"Goku's kid? That's impossible. You're even older than Goku was."  
>"You don't know anything, do you?" Gohan shot him a teasing grin, which angered Piccolo. Gohan let out a mental sigh of relief; this Piccolo was really easy to throw off guard.<br>"I'll show you what I know, you worm!"

Piccolo flashed out of existence, before popping back into existence behind the hardened warrior. He sent a punch to Gohan's back, and then a kick to Gohan's neck. Gohan didn't block, nor did he flinch. The attacks hit him full force, and he didn't move at all. This enraged Piccolo even more. He teleported back to where he started and tried to come up with another offensive strategy.

"My turn," Gohan interrupted, and Piccolo's eyes widened as Gohan immediately teleported in front of him, before sending a light knee into Piccolo's gut.

It was like someone had hit him with a wrecking ball; the green warrior stumbled back, holding his gut and coughing very loudly.

"Come on, spit him up."

Piccolo's eyes shot up to look at Gohan.

"How did you know I ate the jar?"

Gohan simply sent him a smile in response.

"I hate that look on your face. Time to wipe it off!" Piccolo opened his mouth and fired a massive golden beam from it, straight to Gohan's upper body. Gohan simply used one hand to deflect it into the atmosphere. Piccolo's jaw was agape, and the audience began cheering again, realizing that Piccolo wasn't a match for this new warrior.

"Like I said," Gohan spoke up again, "spit him up. Or I'll keep hitting you until you do."

Piccolo grit his teeth.  
>"You really think I'm gonna give Kami back? Just so you can gather the Dragon Balls and bring your precious Goku back? No way. You're stronger than me, by far," Piccolo smiled menacingly, "and you've taken my hopes of ruling this world away. But if you're going to take something from me, I'm going to take something from you!"<p>

Piccolo put his hand to his heart, before charging it with his golden ki.

"Wait, what are you doing!"

"Say goodbye to Kami, and the Dragon Balls! I'll be sure to destroy Goku in the afterlife as well." Piccolo let out a sadistic laugh, before firing a beam of golden energy through his own heart. He collapsed to the ground, dead, which meant that Kami was gone as well. Gohan couldn't wish his way back to his time with the Dragon Balls, nor could he bring his father back.

All was not lost, however. The threat of the evil Piccolo was gone, and mostly everyone else was safe.

When Piccolo collapsed, the fans broke out in cheers. The announcer for the tournament, a blond man in black shades, scurried over to interview the powerful warrior.

"I don't feel like talking just yet," Gohan sent the announcer a stern look, and he immediately backed down. Gohan stepped down from the ring, before walking over to where Oolong, Bulma, and the others were sitting near the front of the audience.

"Wow… I know you guys don't know me, but you don't know how good it is to see your faces."

Bulma simply looked at Gohan with a confused look.  
>"How… could you know us if I've never met you?"<p>

Gohan smiled.  
>"The story is a bit of a doozy… a little long, too. The people here will keep trying to get me to talk, too, so… how about we all meet at Kame House and I can tell you all who I am?"<p>

Time passed, and eventually Oolong, Krillin, Roshi, Bulma, Puar, and Yamcha showed up at Kame House, just as Gohan requested. Even Tien and Chiaotzu showed up, eager to meet a person who could be so strong.

Finally, a golden cloud was seen flying through the air, toward Kame House.

"I… don't believe it! Is that the Flying Nimbus?" Roshi took off his sunglasses to get a good look, before letting out a smile. "Hey, I think it's Goku! I don't know how, but the Flying Nimbus is coming this way!"

Everyone jumped through the front door of Kame House, looking into the sky. Eventually the cloud lowered down to the island, and Gohan jumped off.

"Whew! It's been a while since I got to ride Nimbus!" It really had been. Ever since his dad passed from heart disease, Nimbus didn't answer when anyone called it. That, and it was too risky to fly around with something that left a trail.

"But… how did you fly on Nimbus?" Krillin looked at Gohan, obviously confused.  
>"Let's go inside. Everything will be clear if I can just tell you who I am and how I got here."<p>

Everyone did as they were told and went inside. Launch prepared some dinner while everyone sat in Roshi's living room, anxious to hear Gohan's story.

"This may seem a little weird, but you have to believe me…" Gohan looked a little worried this would be too farfetched.  
>"Don't worry kid, after travelling around with Goku all these years, there's not a story I wouldn't believe," Oolong sent Gohan a grin, the latter of whom bowed and smiled in thanks.<p>

"Well… the truth is, I'm not from this time. That machine you saw me appear in… it's a time machine. My name is Son Gohan, and I am Goku's son."

Bulma spat out the tea she was drinking, and everyone else would have had the same reaction if they had their cups to their lips.

"Goku had a kid?" She let out, utterly surprised that Goku would have enough sense to make a child.  
>"I always knew the little guy had it in him! I'm proud!" Yamcha let out a smile, before Bulma shot him a look.<br>"Keep quiet, Yamcha, you're still on probation for staring at that girl when we went out to dinner last week."  
>"S-Sorry…"<p>

"Anyway," Tien let out, taking the rare opportunity to interject. "Gohan… why did you come back to our time? Is there something you need to tell us about the future? I'm assuming Goku didn't die in your timeline or else you wouldn't exist…"

"Yeah, you're right on, Tien. Truthfully, I was facing a very powerful foe in the future. He was afraid of my power, so he took a cheap shot and knocked me out, threw me in the time machine, and I guess sent me back here. Everything else is just coincidence… I'd try to go back, but I have no idea how to operate it. Nobody here does, either, even though the person who made it is sitting in this room."

"Ohoho, I always knew I was a scientific genius, hehehe! Roshi, you've always wanted to check out those fine prehistoric women…" Roshi seemed to think he was the one who invented the machine, but Gohan just folded his arms and corrected him.

"Actually, Roshi, Bulma made it."  
>"I-I made it?" Bulma seemed surprised.<br>"Yeah. You take over a lot of Capsule Corp when you get older. You're really smart, but I'm assuming you haven't stuck to your studies so far, eh?" It felt so odd, talking to a Bulma who was so close to him in age.

Bulma blushed, letting out a discreet, "Guess not…" before tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear.

"Well, that seems to be the gist of the story. I don't think you need to be bothered with many more questions right now, since you seem to be stuck here for a while. No rush, eh? Come have some lunch with us; after all, if you're our dear friend in the future, there's no reason you can't be now, eh?" Roshi gave Gohan a smile and Gohan shot one back.

"Thanks, Master Roshi."

"Wait," Krillin spoke up, "You don't eat as much as Goku did, do you?"

Gohan let out a little blush, before he rubbed the back of his head.

"Actually, I tend to eat a little more…"

Krillin let out a little groan, while everyone else let out a laugh. The pain of Goku's loss seemed distant now that Gohan had arrived. In sorts, nothing had changed, since they were so much alike. Gohan knew that most of them didn't know the Dragon Balls didn't exist anymore, so they thought they could bring Goku back. Gohan would hate to be the one to break the news to them… but for now, it was time to celebrate peace with old friends. The time for tears would best be saved for later.

* * *

><p><em>Words from the author:<em>

And there's the third chapter. The next chapter or two will probably focus on character development, so you folks who like character development with some romance will enjoy it pretty well. For those who enjoy more fighting, no worries. Gohan's going to be around for a lot longer than any of our friends in the Dragon Ball world know, so he's not done fighting just yet. Stay tuned!


	4. 3:  Shopping?

Chapter 3 – "Shopping?"

"I still don't understand why I have to do this."  
>"You don't have any other clothes besides your gi, right? You're lucky you could fit into Yamcha's stuff."<p>

Bulma and Gohan were walking around a shopping district in West City. Gohan, against his wishes, had abandoned his gi in favor of a plain white polo and khaki pants. Needless to say, he didn't like how restricted they made him feel, a trait he inherited from his father.

Bulma, the rich heiress of Capsule Corp, had no problem at all buying Gohan anything he desired. Or, in this case, anything she desired him to wear. Of course she got dressed up for the occasion, putting her hair in a side pony-tail and wearing a very form-fitting pink shirt and skirt. This wasn't the Bulma Gohan was used to, who wore plain white t-shirts and blue jeans. Then again, these were much brighter days.

"Hmm… this looks good." Bulma looked into the window of a shop specializing in men's apparel, and smiled when she found a dark blue suit with an orange tie. "These are just your colors!"

"Why do I need a suit?" Gohan just wanted to get some food and go back to Kame House, where he had been staying for the past several days.

"Every man needs a suit. Don't argue, I'm getting it."

* * *

><p>This was how most of the day went. Gohan, like a lost puppy, followed the wannabe fashionista around West City until even his powerful legs began to hurt. And, of course, he was the one who had to carry the bags—that was a man's job, after all.<p>

"Don't you uh… have a date with Yamcha or something?" At this point, Gohan was willing to do anything to bring this dreadful shopping trip to an end.

"We're supposed to meet up in an hour for a dinner. We still have plenty of time."

"You uh… you should probably just use this time to get ready. You look… sweaty and tired?" Even Gohan couldn't believe the excuses he was making up, but Bulma's eyes widened like saucers.

"I DO? Why didn't you tell me, I have to look my best if I'm going to be seen in a fancy restaurant!"

Relieved, Gohan shouldered his bags and prepared to fly back to Kame House. Before he could even turn around, however, a loud roar came pummeling down the street. Gohan set his bags down before looking down the long street, and what he saw, he almost couldn't believe.

"A tank?" He asked aloud, and Bulma looked at the source too.

"W-what's going on?" She instinctively moved a little closer to Gohan.

"ATTENTION CITIZENS OF WEST CITY." A booming voice shot all around the nearby area, sounding like it came from a megaphone. "You are all now property of the revitalized Red Ribbon Army. Surrender your possessions and do not try to resist."

"B-But I thought Goku took care of those guys!" Bulma's face sank, to the point where you would think she was going to turn blue.

"He did, but apparently this timeline has other things in store. Stay here, don't move."

Gohan bolted down the street, until he caught up with the tank. The tank stopped when the operator saw Gohan, and he immediately popped out of the hatch.

"Oi, what ye think yer doin', mate?"

"I could ask you the same question. I suggest you get on your radio and tell your friends to leave, or you'll face the consequences."

The operator looked at Gohan with a smug grin, obviously not taking the warrior seriously.

"Heh, you an' what army?"

Gohan's brow furrowed in annoyance, before he sent a simple punch forward. It penetrated through the tank's armor. The operator of the tank immediately let out a little yelp of fear as Gohan removed his unscathed hand.

"Wha… what are you?" The operator cowered in fear, and began breaking out in a sweat.

"The protector of peace. Now leave."

The man hopped back in the tank, and it seemed as if he was going to back off, before his voice was heard over the tank's PA system.

"Red Ribbon Soldiers! We have a nuisance here on the south side of West City, coordinates 42, 44, 10! Requesting all personnel for backup!"

Gohan clenched his teeth; this was all getting annoying. He started looking around to see where the soldiers would come from, but his attention was caught by a girl's scream—it was Bulma's.

Gohan whirled around, and two red ribbon soldiers had grabbed the blue-haired girl by her arms and legs.

"Hey there. This your girl? I suggest you back off before we make a woman out of her, hehe." The larger of the two soldiers grinned malevolently at Gohan, who was really starting to get mad. He started to walk towards them, but a group of several soldiers popped out of an alleyway and stood between Gohan and Bulma.

"GOHAN! HELP ME, I CAN'T DIE, I'M TOO PRETTY!"

The soldiers rushed Gohan. One sent a punch to him, and another sent a kick. Gohan jumped high in the air, causing them to punch and kick one another. He stayed floating in mid-air, above the pack of soldiers, who all looked up with awestruck faces. Gohan placed both of his hands toward the ground, before a tremendous burst of air pulsed down over them, pushed by Gohan's dormant ki. The soldiers were scattered and fell down onto their backs and rear ends. Gohan slowly descended back down to the street and again began walking toward the two men who had Bulma.

The tall one whipped out a pistol, and held it to Bulma's head.

"Show stops here, freak. Another false move and this girl's brains are gonna meet the concrete.

"G-Gohan!"

Tears began to form in Bulma's eyes, but before a single one could fall, Gohan flashed into existence behind the armed soldier. He simply flicked the gun with a finger, causing the barrel of it to crack and fall to pieces. The soldier then found his back heavily impeded on by Gohan's knee, and a sickening crack was heard as the man's legs went limp. The other soldier who had helped used this as a distraction to run away, crying something about a monster.

Bulma rushed and put her face into the white of Gohan's polo, smearing make-up all over it.

"I thought I was gonna die… why can't the world just be peaceful, huh?"

Gohan didn't say a word. He didn't put an arm around her, either. He knew that wouldn't be right. He didn't have any feelings for Bulma, but he did have respect for the relationship her and Yamcha shared. He did let her get her tears out.

"You… you scum…"

The silent sobbing of Bulma was interrupted by the Red Ribbon soldier who had threatened to shoot Bulma. He looked up at Gohan. His legs were sprawled out, unmoving—Gohan had probably kicked him a little too hard and paralyzed him.

"This won't… be the last you see of Sentinel Black…" He would have said more, put he passed out from pain. Gohan looked upon him with both annoyance and pity. He let out a small sigh before looking back at Bulma.

"You should probably tell Yamcha to move the date to East City. You never know who else could be lurking in this town." Bulma nodded, before pulling out her portable phone.

"I'll give him a call.."

* * *

><p>A man and a woman were sitting at the front of a bar, sipping on drinks and having a pleasant conversation. The girl was very pretty; her short blond hair was teased up into a bit of a poof, and it made her look very cute. She bought the man beside her a stronger drink, and he happily obliged.<p>

"You said.. your name was Yamcha, eh? You wouldn't happen to be that star baseball player, would you?"  
>"I'm the one," Yamcha replied with a smile. "I still can't believe you're Fuu. You're like, everyone's favorite model."<br>"I'm not concerned with me right now," Her hand reached over and put a hand on Yamcha's, "I'm more concerned with wrapping myself in these big arms."

Yamcha almost spat out his drink, but not because what she said appalled him. Just as he was about to reply, his portable phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket, to see Bulma's picture on it. He immediately freaked out and hit it back in his pocket.

"Who was it?" Fuu asked him, a little worried.  
>"Oh… just a friend, hehe."<br>"Hmm… good. Why don't we go back to my place, mister baseball player?"  
>"I… think that sounds like an awesome idea."<p>

* * *

><p>"Uh… no answer…"<p>

"He's probably busy driving, I wouldn't worry about it."  
>"But he has a phone in his car too… He's been ignoring me lately, and I can't stand it! He's just gonna miss out on my gorgeous self tonight!" Bulma's sadness immediately warped into her old vain self, which made Gohan smile nervously a bit.<p>

"Sure, sure. Well, I'd better head back to Kame House…" Again, Gohan tried to slink away, but Bulma grabbed his wrist.

"What are you doing tonight, Gohan?" His heart sank. Was she going to make him shop some more?  
>"Actually… a bunch of us were going to have a little cookout at Kame House. Probably gonna spar a little bit, and I was gonna let everyone get to know me a little better…"<p>

"Sounds fun! I want to come!"  
>"But… I thought you hated Master Roshi?"<br>"Er… well… he is an old pervert… but it'd be nice seeing everyone again! And maybe Yamcha will show up, so I can rub it in his face."

Gohan sighed. He realized there was no real way to get out of this. He walked over and picked up his bags full of clothes, before turning around with a little sigh.

"Hop on, Bulma."

She jumped on his back piggy-back style, and Gohan shot off, heading back toward Kame House, wondering just what he was getting himself into.

* * *

><p><em>Words from the author:<br>_I think it's pretty clear Bulma's at least a little partial toward Gohan, right? Ha. I knew since there was a good stretch of time before Raditz and the other Saiyans arrived, I'd need to introduce a saga of my own to pass the time. Let's just say the Red Ribbon Army is serious business this time. Make sure to stay tuned as the drama, romance, and action ensues!


	5. 4:  A Little Night Sparring

Chapter 4 – "A Little Night Sparring"

The rest of Gohan and Bulma's afternoon was peaceful. The sun began to set as Gohan flew both himself and his blue-haired companion back to Kame House, where many of their friends would be gathering for a cookout and a get-together. Gohan saw a light shining in the middle of the sea, and soon flew down to reach their destination.

When they landed, the rest of the gang was already there, waiting for Gohan to arrive to start the festivities. They were surprised to see Bulma, to say the least.

"Ah… good to see you, Gohan. But, Bulma, I thought you were going on a date with Yamcha tonight?" Krillin greeted the duo, and questioned the Capsule Corp heiress.

"Well, Yamcha decided not to answer his phone, so I figured I'd come with Gohan and enjoy my evening another way."

Krillin just smiled and shrugged, before signaling the duo over with a wave.

"Come on in, we were waiting for Gohan to arrive before we fired up the grill anyway."

Gohan and Bulma stepped inside, and were greeted by the same familiar faces that had gathered after the World Martial Arts tournament. Greetings were exchanged, before everyone started to get comfortable.

"Ohohoho, what a pleasant surprise… just so happens I bought a bikini for Launch that's a bit too small so… whaddya say, Bulma, want to take a sunset swim?" Roshi shot a perverted grin at Bulma, who immediately beaned him in the head.

"IF I'VE SAID IT ONCE, I'VE SAID IT A THOUSAND TIMES: NO!"

"Eh.. ow.. point taken.." Roshi rubbed his head before straightening up again, looking at all who had gathered. "Now, to make things more serious for a moment, let us all remember why we gathered here. Two reasons. The first of which is to celebrate the life of our dear friend Goku, whose smiling face was taken from us much too soon. The second is to celebrate the fortunate arrival of his future son, Gohan, who saved us from the evil clutches of the evil Piccolo. Now, let's get the liquor, ehehehe!"

Roshi ran off into the kitchen, and everyone resumed their conversations. Krillin stood beside Gohan and Bulma with arms folded.

"Well… I am a little parched. I'm gonna go get a drink, you want me to get you two anything?"

"No, I don't drink." Gohan replied simply.

"Well, we have things other than booze, y'know. How about some juice?"

"That sounds great! Bring us some, please Krillin?" Bulma shot the bald warrior a sweet smile.

"Geez, one moment she's a t-rex, the other she's a teddy bear… never will get used to that." Krillin made his way to the kitchen, and before Gohan could do anything else, Tien approached him.

"Hey big guy." Tien greeted him with a smile, which Gohan returned. "I heard there was gonna be some sparring tonight… you game?" Gohan smiled, loving a challenge just as anyone with Saiyan blood did.

"Sure. I need to work up a hunger anyway!"

Tien smiled and cracked his knuckles, while Krillin returned with juice. Gohan took his glass and downed the whole thing in one gulp, before rushing outside to meet Tien.

"I think… he takes after Goku a bit too much…" Krillin managed to get out, staring in awe at the bone-dry glass Gohan had left in his hand. Bulma, wanting to fight boredom, went outside to watch the fight. Krillin told the others what was going on, and soon everyone was outside, wanting to see Gohan show off his powers against a man who had once been more powerful than even Goku.

"Don't hold anything back, alright?" Gohan took a battle stance.

"Didn't plan on it."

Tien shot forward without another word, sending a kick straight to Gohan's gut. Gohan blocked it with his forearm, and sent a punch straight to Tien's face. Tien was barely able to dodge, but his lost balance cost him: Gohan sweeped his legs out from under him, and sent him back with a forceful punch to the chest.

"My… his technique is incredible," Roshi surveyed Gohan and let his thoughts wander aloud.

Tien got up and let out a smile. His eyes gained a glow of seriousness, before he let out a little grunt and stiffened his body—suddenly, his one body turned into three bodies, and that three turned into five. Gohan looked unphased and reclaimed his battle stance. The group of Tien's raided Gohan, forming a circle around him and sending a barrage of punches and kicks, all of which Gohan was able to dodge of parry with seemingly little effort. Feeling that this was getting a bit tedious, Gohan put his arms into the air before letting out a yell, and his body expelled a wind of ki that sent all the Tien clones reeling back onto their rears. They merged back into one Tien, who was beginning to look winded. Gohan sent him a challenging smile.

"Alright… time for my new technique." Tien put his hands in front of his face, forming a triangle between the tips of his thumb and index fingers. Gohan took a defensive stance, knowing that this wasn't another physical technique.

Tien's fingers began to spark, before a collection of yellow ki began to glow in his hands.

"Tri Beam!" When he let out those words, and triangular column of energy shot forth towards Gohan, who countered first by jumping back a bit and giving himself more room. The orange-clad warrior put his hands above his head and formed a large ball of golden ki himself.

"Masenko…. Ha!" Just as the triangular wall of ki was about to hit him, Gohan sent forth a massive blast of his own, which completely dissipated Tien's attack and hit the triclops head on, blasting him so far back that his torso landed in the waves.

"Oh man… I think I overdid it!" Gohan ran forward, hoping he hadn't seriously harmed his friend. When he got there, Tien's eyes opened and looked up to Gohan. He sent him a small smile.

"Wow… you've banged me up pretty good, and you didn't even break a sweat. Incredible."

Tien's clothes were tattered, and there were small cuts over his body, but after Gohan helped him to his feet, it was apparent he wasn't seriously injured at all.

Gohan and Tien walked back to Kame House, and the small group that had crowded outside was amazed.

"Gohan… your power is amazing!" Bulma let out a little gasp as she looked at him, wide-eyed. She'd never thought she'd see a person take on five copies of an extremely skilled martial artist, and without any effort as well.

"What's even more amazing is that he wasn't even using a quarter of his power. Right, Gohan?"

Roshi's sensing ability was as good as ever, and Gohan rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I didn't want to come out and say it…"

This further flabbergasted the group, who were already having trouble comprehending how powerful the warrior from the future was.

* * *

><p>Everyone had went back inside as Launch and Roshi (who was trying to sneak his hand on Launch's rear, only to be continuously foiled by Oolong) cooked a good deal of meat and vegetables on a grill outside.<p>

"Excuse me dear, how about I got get us some drinks, eh?" Roshi sent her the best impression of an innocent smile he could, which of course, the gentle-natured Launch fell for.

"That would be very sweet, Master Roshi!"

"Not as sweet as you, baby! Ehehe!" Roshi scuttled off into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. He knew Launch wasn't one to drink, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

_Roshi, you devil you… oh, but everyone deserves a little fun sometimes, and I've earned it!_

He could almost feel his nose bleeding from visions of a drunken Launch calling his name as he filled up two glasses with enough strong liquor to put a horse to sleep. He then added in some high-quality fruit-juice to mask the flavor, but before he could grab them and take them outside, he heard a squeal.

"Ahh! Master Roshi, the flames are too hot, the vegetables are catching on fire!"

Roshi immediately panicked, before dashing outside, almost tripping over his two feet.

"Tell me the mushrooms are okay! I paid top dollar for them!"

Everyone seemed entertained by Roshi's actions. Bulma, who was sitting on Roshi's couch beside Gohan and Krillin, looked over to Gohan.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Oh yeah, that'd be great. Fighting always leaves me on empty."

"Wow kid, you really are like your dad. He'd get hungry just thinking about fighting." Oolong let out a chuckle, and Gohan smiled pleasantly in return. "But what gets me is how nice Bulma is being. Usually she has one of us waiting on her hand and foot, she never does anything for anyone. Even Yamc- owowow!" Oolong's speech was cut short by Bulma's foot kicking him off his chair.

"I'm right here y'know! I can hear you!" Bulma calmed her flustered self, smoothing out the wrinkles in her pink skirt, before continuing her trek into the kitchen. She saw two glasses of cold juice sitting on the counter and smiled pleasantly. "It was nice of that old man to have some drinks already poured out," And with that, she took the two glasses into the main room and sat down beside Gohan again. Gohan accepted his glass with a smile, disregarding Oolong's statements about Bulma—the Bulma he had known always did things for him. She'd always cook extra dinner when he came over, and even made special dinners with wine they would enjoy after Trunks was asleep. It was their little way of having some peace and class in an otherwise deadly world.

Gohan, not knowing his glass was filled with hard liquor, put it too his lips and took a hasty chug. It made his stomach feel a little funny, but he didn't see anything weird about it.

Time passed, and the more Gohan drank, the more he wanted to talk. He told the group all about the future, about how strong his father was, and how he died of a heart disease. He told them about how Piccolo had trained him and how Gohan himself had softened the once vile Namekian's heart. Needless to say, this threw the entire group for a loop. He didn't tell them about any of the evils, like the Saiyans or Frieza or the androids or even Cell. He didn't want to scare them. He knew that if this timeline was anything like his, they would come eventually… but now wasn't the time to worry. That, and his memory was getting a little too foggy.

Gohan, after finishing his glass, decided the room was just getting too stuffy. He didn't see anyone else getting hot, so he opted to go outside instead of asking for the fan to be turned on. He stood up, and immediately found his legs were wobbly—like they were whenever Piccolo cut off his tail. He did his best to steady himself before heading for the door.

"I'm gonna go get some fresh air… I think I might be a little feverish." Gohan trudged his way out of Kame House and across the tiny island, until he was at the edge, near the beach. Bulma, for whatever reason, followed him outside. She tried to jog but ended up almost falling, so she took her time and made sure she didn't collapse and embarrass herself.

Gohan had already taken off his shoes and sat down on the sand, placing his feet in the cool water. Bulma sat down beside him, folding her legs under her.

"G-Gohan…" Her speech was a little slurred, "are you okay? You don't have the heart vi-virus that Kugo had, do you?" Her tolerance was obviously low, but neither realized exactly what they had drank.

"No… just felt a little hot, so I came out here to put my feet in the water."

Bulma studied him for a moment, before turning her eyes to the waves. She felt a little unsteady, so she let herself flop over until her head was on Gohan's shoulder.

"Are you okay, Bulma?" Gohan still had some of his wits about him, so a random head landing on his shoulder wasn't just something he'd ignore.

"You're _so strong_. And you saved me today. And you let me come here when Yamcha ignored me."

"Well, I mean, I wouldn't feel right if someone got hurt when I was around… and it's not like I'm going to tell you that you can't come and meet up with is, so of course I let you come. It wasn't really even my decision, anyw—"

Gohan had been blabbering on and let his mind fall from the situation, and before he could finish the sentence, Bulma had leaned up and pressed her lips onto his. Gohan's eyes widened, and he felt like a great ape had just stamped it's foot down on him… what had she just done? But an inebriated mind doesn't put two and two together so well, and because the future he was from is so desolate, this had been his first real kiss, and because it was Bulma… he didn't fight it at all.

* * *

><p>"Ahhh! Who took my drinks? That was expensive alcohol!" Roshi rushed from the kitchen, looking pretty annoyed.<p>

"I didn't see any drinks, old man." Oolong, who was playing cards with Krillin and Tien to pass the time, replied.

"Well they were there! With red juice in them!"

Krillin looked like he'd just been shot. "R-red juice? But… Bulma got those drinks for her and Gohan to drink… I bet she thought they were just juice!"

"Just juice? I put enough booze in there to cripple a mule! I mean er… anyway, I'm gonna go teach those kids a lesson!"

Roshi walked to the front door and opened it, and then surveyed the horizon for those meddling kids. At last his eyes sat upon two figures near the waves, but his eyes could have popped out of his head as he saw that Gohan and Bulma had their lips pressed together.

"Oh… oh my."

* * *

><p><em>Words from the author:<br>_"Boo! Romance! I want more action!" Rest yourselves, readers, this isn't going to be Dragon Ball Z, where it's all action and no romance (sans Buu Saga Gohan and Videl). I'm a sappy guy myself, but that doesn't mean ol' Gohan and the gang won't be blowing up baddies soon enough. What will be the repercussions of this little drunken fiasco? Will Bulma find out about Yamcha? Will Yamcha find out about Bulma? Will Roshi ever get to grab Launch's rear? Keep reading, my friends. And leave a review if you like!


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